Selective printing process and apparatus



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r SELECTIVE PRINTING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed May 28, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Inventors: A4 awn 4% -W M, ;MHM/ fizw United States Patent SELECTIVE PRINTING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Wilhelm Ritzerfeld, Berlin-Dahlem, and Gerhard Ritzerfeld, Berlin-Grunewald, Germany Application May 28, 1956, Serial No. 587,789 Claims priority, application Germany May 28, 1955 5 Claims (Cl. 101-1325) The present invention relates to a selective printing process and apparatus.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a printing process and apparatus wherein desired portions of a printing form may be selected and printed next to each other on a given sheet even though these printing portions are spaced from each other on the printing form and have additional printing portions located therebetween.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a selective printing process and apparatus which can be applied to all types of printing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing process and apparatus of the utmost flexibility and of almost universal utility with respect to the capability of printing selected portions of a printing form in desired sequences.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a printing process and apparatus capable of repeatedly printing a desired series of printing portions of a given printing form.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a printing process and apparatus capable of printing a first series of printing portions of a given printing form and then While operating continuously capable of printing a second series of printing portions of the same printing form, and so on.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a structure capable of accomplishing all of the above objects and at the same time composed of simple and ruggedly constructed elements which are very reliable in operation.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists of a process according to which a desired number of portions of a given printing form are preselected and according to which a printing apparatus is electrically operated in correspondence to the selection of printing portions to print the latter in a given sequence.

Also with the above objects in view, the present invention mainly consists of a printing apparatus which includes a support means and a printing roll carrier for rotation about its axis by the support means and adapted to have fixed thereto a printing form having thereon a plurality of printing portions. to and located adjacent the printing roll, and an electrical moving means is operatively connected to the counter roll to move the latter to an operating position located in close proximity to the printing roll whenever electrical impulses are received by the electrical moving means. A switch closing member is movably carried by the support means for movement along a given path and a plurality of first switches are arranged in succession along this path to be successively closed by the switch closing member as it moves along the path. A drive means is operatively connected to the printing roll for rotating the latter and to the switch closing member for moving the same along the predetermined path in synchronism with the rotation of the printing roll. A plurality of second A counter roll is parallel switches respectively correspond to the plurality of first switches and may be selectively closed by the operator, these second switches respectively corresponding to the several printing portions of the printing form. An electrical circuit interconnects the first switches with the second switches and with the electrical moving means for energizing the latter whenever the switch closing member closes one of the first switches while the second switch corresponding thereto is simultaneously closed, so that by selecting given ones of the second switches it is possible for the operator to print selected portions of the printing form.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a partly schematic side elevational view of a printing apparatus according to the present invention, the left side wall of the housing of the printing apparatus being omitted from Fig. 1 so as to clearly show the structure behind this left side wall;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line A-B of Fig. l in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line C- D of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3a is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line EF of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a partly diagrammatic side elevational view illustrating one embodiment of a structure for moving a counter roll to an operating position with respect to a printing roll;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a second embodiment of a structure for moving a counter roll into an operating position with respect to a printing roll;

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram of part of the structure of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a wiring diagram of another part of the structure of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram showing the parts of the apparatus which are shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and also showing a ditferent embodiment of a structure for clearing the selecting keys so that all of the selecting switches are opened at the end of a desired sequence of operations.

Referring now to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 show a printing roll 1 which is adapted to have fixed thereto in a purely conventional manner not forming part of the present invention an arcuate printing form 2 which is provided with a plurality of printing portions thereon. The manner in which the actual printing is carried out forms no part of the present invention and may take any desired known form. Thus, the printing may be of the type where a mirror image of the printing portions of the form 2 are printed onto a printing sheet which is impregnated with a suitable agent, or the printing may take place according to a stenciling process, according to an electrical printing process, or according to a known process where the printing form 2 has raised printing elements to which a layer of ink is applied at each rotation of the printing roller.

The printing roll 1 is supported for rotation about its axis by a support means which may include in part the walls of the housing of the apparatus, as is evident from Fig. 2. A drive belt 8 fragmentarily shown in dotted lines at the left of Fig. 1 may be driven by any suitable motor which is not illustrated and cooperates with a pulley 7 to rotate the latter. The pulley 7 is affixed to a shaft 51 which is supported for rotation about its axis by the support means and which is parallel to the printing roll 1, as is evident from Fig. 3a, and the pulley 7 is also in driving engagement with a sprocket wheel 5 which is also fixed to the shaft 51, as indicated in Fig. 3a. A sprocket chain 6 cooperates with the sprocket wheel 5 and with another sprocket wheel4 which is fixed to the shaft 3 to which the printing roll 1 also is fixed, as indicated in Fig. 2, so that in this way the drive from the motor is transmitted to the printing roll 1 in order to rotate the latter in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1.

A counter roll is parallel to and located adjacent to the printing roll 1 to cooperate with the latter for carrying out the printing. The pressure between the printing roll 1 and the counter roll 10 may be manually regulated by manual operation of a printing pressure adjusting lever 9, and when this lever 9 is turned in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, not only is the printing pressure between the rolls 1 and 10 adjusted, but in addition a switch 11 is closed, and this switch 11 is the main switch of the printing apparatus and energizes the motor in order to drive the belt 8 and thus start the machine. The closing of the main switch 11 in this manner also conditions all of the electrical apparatus described below so that it can carry out the desired operations. The manually operable lever 9 is pivotally supported adjacent its bottom end, as indicated in Fig. l, and the lower end portion of the lever 9 is pivotally connected to the right end of a link 12, as viewed in Fig. 1, whose left end is pivotally connected to a lever 13 which is fixed to an eccentric shaft 15. The lever 13 carries a suitable projection which is adapted to enter into any one ofthe recesses O or IV of a plate 14 which is provided withthese recesses which are arranged along the path of movement of the projection of the lever 13 which is turned upon actuation of the lever 9. These recesses O and I-V indicate the degree of operating pressure betweenthe printing roll 1 and the counter roll 10, and as the lever 13 progresses from the 0 position toward position V the pressure between the rolls 1 and 10 gradually increases. As is evident from Figs. 1 and 2, the shaft 15 is eccentrically supported for turning movement about an axis parallel to and spaced from its own axis, and this shaft 15 pivotally supports the lower end portions of a pairof levers 16 which form parts of,

a pair of toggle linkage mechanisms. The levers 16 are respectivelyinterconnected by pivot pins 18 with the other levers 17 of the pair of toggle linkage means, and these levers 17 are pivotally connected at their upper end portions to the opposite ends 27 of the shaft which carries the counter roll 10, as indicated in Fig. 2. This shaft of the counter roll 10 is carried at its opposite ends by a pair of levers 25 whose bottom ends are respectively supported for turning movement about a common axis by a pair of shaft portions 26 which are fixedly carried by the support means formed by the housing of the machine. Thus, when the pair of toggle linkage means 1618 are turned from the solid line inoperative position shown in Fig. 1 to the dot-dash line operating position shown in Fig. 1 upon movement of the pivot pins 18 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, the levers 25 will turn in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1 so as to place the counter roll 10 in the operating dot-dash line position indicated in Fig. l where this counter roll 10 is located in close proximity to the printing roll 1. When the pair of toggle linkage means have been returned to the solid line position indicated in Fig. 1, the levers 25 turn in a clockwise direction and the counter roll 10 moves away from the printing roll 1 to the inoperative position indicated in solid lines in Fig. l. The cooperating pressure between the rolls 1 and 10 depends upon the angular position of the eccentric shaft 15. Thus, if this shaft is turned in-a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, from the solid line position thereof shown in Fig. 1, it is evident that the toggle linkage means l618 will approach the printing roll 1, and thus when the toggle linkage means 1618 are moved to their operating position the counter roll 10 will be placed in a position with respect to the printing roll 1 which depends upon the angular position of the eccentric shaft 15, and in this way the pressure between rolls 1 and 10 is regulated. The turning of the manually operable pressure adjusting lever 9 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, regulates the pressure between the rolls 1 and It and the desired pressure may be obtained by placing the projection of the lever 13 in one of the recesses I-V, as described above.

A pair of manually operable selecting means in the form of two sets of keys 19 and 20 are provided on the machine and are operated to select desired sections or lines of the printing portions of the printing form 2, as will be apparent from the description below.

The sheet 21 which is to be printed is placed with its left end, as viewed in Fig. 1, between the feed rolls 22 and 23, and the roll 22 is turned in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, by any suitable structure such as the gear 24, for example, so that in this way the sheet 21 is brought up to the printing line A, B between the printing roll 1 and the counter roll 10. In order to print on the sheet 21 desired portions of. the printing form 2, the counter roll 10 is moved to and from its operating position in close proximity to the printing roll 1 by an electromechanical switch arrangement which is preset according to the portions of form 2 which are desired to be printed, and this electromechanical switch arrangement operates on-an electrical moving means formed in part by the above described toggle linkage arrangement to move the counter roll 10 to its operating position whenever a portion of the form 2 which is to be printed becomes located opposite the counter roll 10. This electrical moving means includes the solenoid 28 which receives electrical impulses to move the counter roll 10 to its operating position, and these electrical impulses are transmitted to the solenoid 28 in accordance with the closing of switches S S by the group of keys 19 and switches by the group of keys 20.

Whenever the solenoid 28 is unenergized, the spring 29 returns the counter roll 10 to its rest position, as indicated in Fig. 4. A rod 48 is carried by the side walls of the housing which form the support means, and is located in the path of turning movement of the links 16 of the pair of toggle linkages, so as to limit the turning of these links in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, and in this way determine the rest position of the counter roll 10. Instead of providing a spring 29 to return the counter roll to its rest position, it is possible to make the solenoid 28 in the form of a push-pull solenoid 31' which has two coils which can be energized in such a way that when one of the coils is energized the armature of the solenoid moves to the right, as viewed in Fig. 4, in order to place the counter roll 10 in its operating position, while when the other coil is energized the armature is positively moved to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4, to return the counter roll'to its rest position. This action is indicated by the arrow 68 in Fig. 4. As is indicated in Fig. 5, a second solenoid 30 may replace the spring 29 in order to positively pull the counter roll 19 away from its'operating position when the solenoid 30 is energized. As is shown by the dot-dash circles in Fig. 2, the solenoid arrangement is repeated on both sides of the machine and solenoids 28 are operatively connected to both toggle linkages in order to provide a uniform movement of the counter roll 10 to and from its operating position without tilting the axis ofv the counter roll 10.

As is shown in Figs. l3, a gear 31 is fixed to the shaft 3 to which the printing roll 1 is fixed for rotation with the shaft 3, and this gear 31 meshes with an intermediate gear 32 supported for rotation about its axis. The intermediate gear- 32 in turn meshes with a gear 33 fixed to a shaft 34 supported for rotation about its axis by the support means, this shaft 34 being parallel to the printing roll 1. A switch closing member 35 in the form of an arm fixed to the shaft 34 for rotation therewith forms part of a section I of the electrical structure of the in- VentiOn. During rotation of the shaft 34 the switch closing member 35 will turn with its free end where the roller 71 is freely turnable along a predetermined circular path, and a plurality of switches K K are arranged along the path of movement of the free ends of the switch closing member 35 to be successively closed by the latter, as is particularly evident from Fig. 6. These switches K1-K10 respectively correspond to portions of the printing form 2 which are to be printed on the sheet 21. The gearing 3133 guarantees that the switching closing member 35 rotates in a predetermined synchronism with respect to the rotating printing roll 1. As is apparent from Fig. 6, a second group of switches S S respectively correspond to the switches K -K The group of keys 19 includes the keys T -T and a group of relays R R are respectively operatively connected to the keys T T to respectively be energized when these keys are depressed so as to close the switches which they actuate, as indicated in Fig. 6. The switches 8 -8 respectively cooperate with the relays R R to be respectively closed thereby whenever any of these relays are energized. As is indicated in Fig. 6, an electrical circuit interconnects all of the switches with the solenoid .28, and the circuit is such that whenever the switch closing member 35 closes one of the switches K -K while one of the switches S 6 corresponding thereto :is also closed, then the solenoid 28 will be energized. In Fig. 6 the group of keys 19 are shown at the upper right for the sake of convenience. The lines G and H shown :at the lower portion of Fig. 6 extending from a coil of a transformer continue at the lines G-H shown at the upper right of Fig. 6.

The electrical structure of the invention includes a :second section II, and a second switch closing member .36 forms part of section II. As is evident from Figs. 3 .and 7, the switch closing member 36 is in the form of an :arm fixed to a wheel 37 similar to a ratchet wheel which is freely turnable with respect to the shaft 34 which passes through the wheel 37. The gear 33 carries elernents 38-43 which form part of a known position changing mechanism cooperating with the wheel 37 for stepping the arm 36 backwardly in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7, whenever the solenoid 61 is energized in order to actuate element 43. The solenoid 61 is carried by a suitable bracket or the like afiixed to the gear 33 for rotation therewith, and through suitable slip rings the solenoid 61 is connected into the electrical circuit shown in Fig. 7. During normal operation the gear 33 which is not shown in Fig. 7, for the sake of clarity, rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7 and the element 39 by engagement with the wheel 37 as shown in Fig. 7 causes the wheel 37 together with the arm 36 to turn in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7. However, when the solenoid 61 is energized the posi- -;tion changing means 38-43 will cause the wheel 37 together with the arm 36 to turn in a stepwise manner in a tcounterclockwise direction, the arm 36 turning through :a step each time the solenoid 61 is energized. A group of (switches K -K are arranged in succession in the path of movement of the free end of the switch closing member 36, and the position changing means is such that at each backward step of the arm 36 the latter turns through an angular distance corresponding to the angular distances between the equidistantly spaced series of switches K -K The switch closing member 36 together with switches li -K serve the purpose of printing from the form 2 a certain series of portions thereof during one cycle of operations and during the continuous operation of the machine a second series of portions .of the form 2 which is different from the first series. The second section II of the electrical structure includes the manually operable keys T -T of the group of keys 20, and these keys respectively cooperate with relays R R to close the switches S -S Thus, whenever any of the keys T -T are depressed by the operator the switches S -S corresponding to these keys, respectively, are closed, and as is evident from Fig.7, all of the switches are electrically interconnected together with the solenoids 28 in order to actuate the latter whenever the switch closing member 36 closes one of the switches K -K while one of the switches S S corresponding thereto is simultaneously closed, in much the same way as with the structure of Fig. 6. In the same way as with Fig. 6, Fig. 7 shows the group of keys 20 separate from the rest of the electrical arrangement for the sake of convenience. The lines I, K extending from the transformer 73 shown in Fig. 7 at the lower portion thereof are the same lines I, K which are shown at the upper right portion of Fig. 7. As will be apparent from the description below, the arrangement of Fig. 7 is such that after the arm 36 has once passed along the switches K -K to successively close the latter, the solenoid 61 is energized to actuate the position changing means 3743 to step the arm 36 in a reverse direction a number of times equal to the number of switches 8 -8 which are closed and then during the next passage of the arm 36 along the switches K K a different series of portions will be printed.

As was mentioned above the gear 24 may be actuated to turn the feed rolls 22 and 23 so as to feed the paper 21 up to the printing line A, B. When the counter roll 10- is in its operating position this counter roll together with.

the printing roll 1 advances the paper while printing the latter, and it will be noted that the roll 23 is carried by a.

frame which turns when the counter roll 10 is moved toits operative position so as to move roll 23 away from roll 22 and thus increase the space between rolls 22- and 23 so that only the cooperation of rolls 1 and 10 advances the paper during the actual printing thereof- The rolls 22 and 23 feed the paper through a narrow gap formed by a member 72 together with a guide plate located therebeneath and carried by the same frame which carries the roll 23, and in this narrow gap the paper is frictionally engaged by member 72 and the guide plate therebeneath so that the paper does not advance when the roll 10 is moved away from its operating position. However, when the printing of a given sheet is completed, then it is necessary to advance the remainder of the sheet beyond the roll 10 and expel the sheet from the machine, and for this purpose a one-revolution clutch means is provided. Thus, the shaft 3 which is fixed to the printing roll 1 fixedly carries a cam 56 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and this cam 56 bears on a cam follower roller 58 which is turnably carried by a lever 57 which is pivoted immediate its ends on a pin 59 fixed to the support means, such as the right side wallof the machine housing, as viewed in Fig. 2. The lever 57 cooperates with a pawl 53 turnable on a pivot pin 54 which is carried by a sprocket wheel 44 which is freely turnable on the shaft 51. A wheel 52 similar to a ratchet wheel is fixed to the. pulley '7 for rotation therewith, as shown in Fig. 3a, and this wheel 52 has its teeth directed toward the pawl 53,- as is shown in Fig. l. A spring 55 is connected to the pawl 53 to urge the latter in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, this spring 55 being connected at its lower end, as viewed in Fig. 1, to the sprocket wheel 44. As is apparent from Fig. l, the shape of the cam 56 is such that as direction about the pivot 59, as viewed in Fig. 1, and when I the printing form 2 has moved beyond the counter roll 10 the left end of the lever 57 has moved upwardly through,

a distance sufficient to release the pawl 53 to the action of the spring 55 which new acts to place the pawl in operative engagement with the tooth of the wheel 52 which is continually turning with the pulley 7. Thus, the wheel 52, which turns 'in aclockwise direction, as viewed inFig. 1, now turns the sprocket wheel 44, and this sprocket wheel 44 cooperates with a chain 46 to turn another sprocket wheel 45 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1. The sprocket wheel 45 is in driving engagement with a roller which engages the counter roll 10 when the latter is in its rest position, so that when a printing operation is completed the roller connected to the sprocket wheel 45 is turned to also turn the counter roll 10, and in this way the sheet is transported to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, to be removed from the machine after a printing operation is completed. When the onerevolution clutch means 5255 has completed a revolutionthe pawl 53 has again engaged the left end of the lever 57, as viewed in Fig. l, to be placed in a position out of engagement with the wheel 52, so that elements 44- 46 remain stationary until the printing roll 1 has again turned through almost a complete revolution.

The electrical structure of the invention includes a third section III, and a switch closing member in the form of an arm 60 forms part of the section III of the electrical structure. The arm 60 is fixed to the sprocket wheel 44 for rotation therewith, as is evident from Fig. 3a, and therefore whenever the one-revolution clutch means 5255 is released for turning through one revolution, the arm 60 turns with this clutch through one revolution. The section III includes the contact K K distributed along the path of movement of the arm 60 which carries a second contact sliding successively over the contacts K K to successively engage the latter. As is apparent from Fig. 7, when the one-revolution clutch acts to turn the arm 60 through a revolution, the arm 60 by engaging the successive contacts K K will energize the solenoid 61 each time the arm 60 engages one of the contacts K K which is electrically connected to a switch which is closed. Thus, the solenoid 61 is in this way energized a number of times equal to the num ber of switches S S which are closed, and in'this way the arm 36 is stepped backwardly a number of steps equal to the number of switches S S which are closed.

It is desirable under certain circumstances to be able to print all of the printed matter carried by the printing form 2, and although this result could be accomplished by maintaining the solenoids 28 continuously energized during a revolution of the printing roll 1, this solution is undesirable because the solenoids would have to be made undesirably large in order to be capable of handling such a continuous current. Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a second lever 62 similar to the lever 9 is carried by the machine for turning movement about an axis located adjacent the lower end of the lever 62, as is evident from Fig. 1, and this lever 62 is pivotally connected to the right end of a link 47, as viewed in Fig. 1, whose left end is pivotally connected to a lever 64 fixed to an eccentric shaft 65 which is turnably carried by the support means formed, for example, by the opposite side walls of the machine housing. Therefore, when the lever 62 is turned by the operator in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, the shaft 65 will turn in a clockwise direction. The eccentric shaft 65 engages the left face of the links 16 of the pair of toggle linkages, and as is apparent'from Fig. 1, as the eccentric shaft turns in a clockwise direction it will move the links 16 in a clockwise direction to cause the toggle linkages to move toward their dead center position and thus move the counter roll 10 toward its operating position. The lever 64 carries a projection which is capable of snapping into the recesses O and I-V of an arcuate plate 63 carried by the support means in a position where it extends along the path of movement of the free end of the lever 64, and thus it is possible for the operator to locate the lever 64 releasably in any of the positions and 1V. In the same way as with the plate 14, these positions correspond to the particular pressure which it is desired to apply between the printing roll 1 and the counter roll 10, and thus it is possible with this structure to mechanically locate the counter roll 10 in a desired operating position with respect to the printing roll 1. As long as the lever 62 remains in a position where it is turned in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 1, the eccentric shaft 65 will maintain the printing roll 10 in a desired operating position, and with this mechanical structure it is unnecessary to provide any excessively large solenoids for the purpose of maintaining the counter roll 10 in its operating position for a period of time long enough to print all of the printed matter on the printing form 2.

As is apparent from Figs. 4 and 5, the armature of each solenoid. 28 is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 50 to a link 42 which is pivotally connected in turn to the pivot pin 18 interconnecting the links 16 and 17 of each toggle linkage. The armatures of the solenoids are furthermore each provided with a flange 66 fixed thereto and limiting the movement of the armatures of solenoids 28 to the right in the direction of arrow 67 shown in Fig. 4, and this limited movement is suffieient to locate the toggle linkages almost in their dead center positions, respectively. It will benoted that where the spring 29 is replaced by a solenoid 30, this latter solenoid has substantially the same construction as the solenoid 23 and is provided in the same way with a flange 66 fixed to its armature to limit the movement of the armature, the rod 48 also serving to determine the rest position of the toggle linkages and the counter roll 10, as was described above, and as is shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

As was described above in connection with Fig. 6, the transmission of electrical impulses to the solenoids 28 in order to energize the latter is controlled by the group of keys 19 which preset the electrical circuit shown in Fig. 6 so as to energize the solenoids 28 at desired moments. The group of keys 19 operate at a relatively low current, and therefore a transformer 73 is connected to the lines in order to provide the group of keys 19 with a current lower than that which can be obtained from the lines. Theremaining structure of Fig. 6, namely, the switches 8 -8 and the switches K K as well as the solenoids 28 operate at the line current. The switches K K are successively closed by the roller 71 which is turnably carried by the arm 35 at its free end, as was described above. The group of keys 19 includes a clearer key 70 which is connected to a normally closed switch, as is evident from Fig. 6. When the key 70 is actuated to open the switch to which it is connected, then, as is appafent from Fig. 6, all of the relays R R will become unenergized and all of the keys T T will return to their rest positions and all of the switches 8 -8 will open.

it is to be understood that ten keys and sets of switches are illustrated in thedrawings only by way of example. Actually there are many more keys and sets of switches, and as is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6 the series of switches K -K are only part of a series of switches which extends almost through a complete circle. The same is true of the series of switches of all of the sections of the electrical apparatus which cooperate with rotating switch closing members. Thus, as is shown at the lower portion of Fig. 8 in dotted lines the series of switches K -K forms only part of the complete series which extends almost through a complete circle, and the same is true of the series of switch contacts K -K which, as is indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 8, form part of a series which extend almost through a com plete circle. Because of this arrangement of the switches through almost a complete circle it is possible to select any desired part of the form 2 to be printed.

If it is assumed that in the structure of Fig. 6 the keys T -T and T7 are depressed, then the current will flow from the lines through the transformer 73 and the switch connected to the key 70 to the relays R -R and R so as to energize the latter which thus holds the keys T T and T in their depressed position and which also pull on the switches S -S and S in order to close the latter and maintain the same closed as long as the relays R -R and R remain energized. Now when the printing roll 1 turns through a revolution, the arm 35 also turns in synchronism and as a result the switches K K are closed in succession. As the arm 35 turns, not all of the circuits connected to the solenoids 28 will be closed, because the circuits in which switches 8 -5 and S S are located will necessarily remain open inasmuch as these latter switches were not previously closed. Thus, as the arm 35 turns to successively close the switches K -K circuits will be completed through the closed switches 8 -8 in order to energize the solenoids 28 so as to print the first three lines of the form 2, for example, and then the next three lines of the form will be skipped and the seventh line will be printed when the arm 35 closes the switch K These lines 1, 2, 3, and 7 of the printing form 2 will appear directly after each other on the printed sheet because after the line 3 is printed the sheet which is being printed remains stationary as a result of the narrow passage provided by the element 72, and thus after line 3 is printed the next line printed directly after line 3 on the sheet will be line 7. With the arrangement shown where Fig. 6 shows the structure used the lines selected to be printed can be repeated on successive sheets as many times as desired. If it is desired to change the portions of the printing form 2 which are printed, then it is necessary to depress the clearer key 70 in order to deenergize the relay and at this time all of the switches T T T S -S and S7 open. Then the above operations may be repeated to print any desired other portions of the printing form 2.

Where the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 7 is used, the solenoids 28 will be energized in much the same way. However, with the arrangement of Fig. 7 the successive sheets which are printed will have different material printed thereon. For example, if the structure of Fig. 7 is actuated by the operator so as to print lines 46 from the printing form 2 onto the sheet 21, then the next sheet 21 will have lines 7-9 printed thereon, and so on. This takes place in the following manner:

Assuming, in accordance with the above example, that the operator has depressed keys T -T of Fig. 7, then the current will flow from the lines through the transformer 73 to the relays R R the clearer switch 75 of Fig. 7 being identical with the clearer switch 70 of Fig. 6 and operating in the same way. Thus, the keys T T will remain depressed and the switches S -S will be kept closed by the energized relays Run-R10 When the printing roll 1 turns through a revolution, then the switch closing member 36 will move successively along the switches K -K and in the same way as with the structure of Fig. 6, when the switch closing member 36 successively closes switches K -K the solenoids 28 will be energized because the switches S -S are closed, andrthus lines 4-6 from the printing form 2 will be printed. However, after this first sheet is printed, and when the printing roll 1 has turned through almost a complete revolution, the one-revolution clutch 52-55 will cause the arm 60 to turn so as to successively engage the contacts K K As is apparent from Fig. 7, when arm 60 engages contacts K -K impulses will be sent to the solenoids 61 so as to energize the latter because the switches S -S are closed, and as a result the back-stepping means 33-37 will be actuated three times so as to step the arm 36 backwardly three times, and it is apparent that with this structure the arm 36 is stepped backwardly a number of times equal to the number of switches S -S which are closed. Thus, when the next sheet is printed during the next revolution of the printing roll 1, the solenoids 28 will again be energized when the arm 36 engages the switches K K because the switches $104-$196 still remain closed. However, the arm 36 has now been displaced through three steps with respect to the printing roll 1, so that the latter has turned through an additional angular distance of three lines of the printing form 2 when the arm 36 again engages the switch K and as a result on this second sheet the lines 7, 8 and 9 of the printing form 2 will be printed. In the same way, on the third sheet the lines l0, l1 and 12 will be printed, and so on. The switches K K are not closed during the backward stepping of the arm 36 because these switches have their contacts tiltably mounted in such a way that the switches are closed only when the arm 36 turns in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7.

When the desired operations are completed with the arrangement shown in Fig. 7, the operator depresses the clearer key so as to open the circuit to the relays: Run-R110, and thus the keys K101-K110 return to their rest position and the switches 3 -8 are all opened. When the clearer key 70 is depressed to deenergize the relays Ii -R the switch connected to the key 70 simul taneously closes a circuit to a relay 76 shown in Fig. 1,4. and when the relay 76 is energized it turns a lever 77 int a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, about a pivott pin 78 which carries the lever 77 and against the influence: of a spring 79 so as to release a one-revolution clutcln for operation. The pivot pin 78 is carried by any suitable"; part of the support means, and in the position of the parts: shown in Fig. l, the left end of the lever 77 engages the. upper end portion of a pawl 96 to prevent operation of the one-revolution clutch mechanism. As is apparent from Fig. 3, the pawl 96 isturnably carried by a pivot pin 84 which is in turn carried by a wheel 85 through which the shaft 34 freely extends so that this shaft is free to turn with respect with the wheel 85. This Wheel 85 is prevented from turning by the engagement of the pawl 96 with the lever 77, as shown in Fig. l. The pawl 96 is located in the same plane as a ratchet wheel 80 which is fixed to a sprocket wheel 81 for turning movement with the latter on the shaft 34, as is shown in Fig. 3. The sprocket wheel 81 cooperates with a chain 83 which in turn cooperates with another sprocket wheel 82 which is fixed to the shaft 51 for rotation therewith, so that during the operation of the machine the sprocket wheel 81 and the ratchet wheel 80 rotate continuously. Thus, when the relay 76 is energized by actuation of the key 75, the pawl 96 is releasedto the influence of the spring 86 so as to be turned into engagement with one of the keys of the ratchet wheel 80. The spring 86 is fixed to the wheel at its bottom end, as viewed in Fig. 1, and to. the pawl 96 at its top end, as viewed in Fig. l. Thus, when the pawl 96 is released the rotating ratchet wheel 80 engages the pawl 96 so as to turn the wheel 85. As is shown in Figs. 3 and 7, the wheel 85 pivotally carries another pawl 87 which acts as a catch member, and the switch closing member 36 carries a pin 88 which is; located in the path of turning movement of the catch, member 87. Thus, when the wheel 85 turns the catch; member 87 turns with the same, and as is indicated in; Fig. 7, a spring is operatively connected to the catcht member 87 so as to urge the latter in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7. Wherever the pin 88; happens to be located at the end of the operations, it Will be engaged by the catch member 87 which now pulls the pin 88 together with the arm 36 so that these elements now turn together with the wheel 85. When the latter 1 1 pin 88, as indicated in Fig. 7, and in this way the pin 88 by its cooperation with the catch member 87 guarantees that the arm 36 will always be returned to the proper starting position at the end of adesired sequence of operations. I

Fig. 8 shows a different embodiment of the electrical structure. The sectionsI-III of'the electrical structure operate in the same way as described above. However, all of the relays associated with the key groups 19 and 20 are omitted, and the clearing takes place mechanically rather than electrically. Thus, by referring to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the switches S S are directly rather than indirectly closed by actuation of the keys T -T respectively, of the group of keys 19, and in the same way the switches S -S are directly closed by the keys T -T of the group of keys 20. Furthermore, with the arrangement shown in Fig. 8 there are no transformers in that the entire electrical structure operates at the line current. The key structure 19 includes an elongated bar 92 formed with a pair of horizontal slots 93 through which a pair of stationary pins 94 extend, these pins being carried by the support means in any suitable way. Thus, the bar 92 is free to shift to the right and left, and it is maintained in the illustrated position where the pins 94 are located at the right ends of the slots 93 by a spring which acts on the bar 92 to urge the latter to the left, as viewed in Fig. 8. This bar 92 has a plurality of pins 91 fixed to and extending therefrom, and the turnable switch members which are actuated by the keys T T have fixed thereto a plurality of bars 90 which turn when the switches 5 -8 are closed so that these bars 90 are located next to the pins 91. Because these bars 90 are fixed to the several switches, when the bar 92 is shifted to the right, as viewed in Fig. 8, the pins 91 will engage the bars 90 so as to open the switches. In order to shift the bar 92 to the right, a clearer key L is provided, and this clearer key is connected to a bell crank provided at its lower right end, as viewed in Fig. 8, with an elongated slot through which extends a pin 95 fixed to the right end of the bar 92, as viewed in Fig. 8. Thus, when the key L is depressed the bar 92 will be shifted to the right so as to open all of the switches of the group of keys 19.

In the same way, a substantially identical structure is provided with the section II of the electrical structure in order to operate the switch-es 5 -5 and the identical parts are indicated with the same reference characters. The clearer key L of the group of keys 20 shown in Fig. 8 actuates an unillustrated switch when the clearer key L is depressed so as to energize the relay 76 in order to return the arm 36 to its starting position in the manner described above. Otherwise the key L and the parts associated therewith are identical with the key L and the parts associated with fl1e latter.

It should be noted that the turning arm 60 of section III of the electrical apparatus has fixed thereto an axially extending hub portion extending axially beyond the arm 60 and in constant engagement with an electrically conductive springy arm 74 so that when the arm 60 engages any of the contacts K -K the circuit will be completed directly through the arm 60 and the spring member 74 to the relay 61.

Instead of providing a push-pull solenoid 31 in order to positively move the counter roll 10 between its operating and rest positions, it is possible to use magnets whose polarity is reversible in order to move the counter roll between its rest and operating positions.

With the structure of the invention it is possible to print on successive sheets the same printing portions such as a suitable heading, and with such a heading it is possible to print on a plurality of sheets different desired portions of a given printing form such as printing form 2, and these portions which are printed from the printing form 2 may be located next to each other or they may be 12 spaced from each other. The invention is of particular significance for bookkeeping purposes as well as for preparation of orders. For example, it is possible with the inven-. tion to prepare a first order sheet having agiven heading and a first list of parts or the like and in a continuous operation to print a second sheet having the same heading as the first sheet and a different list printed thereon. Thus, it is possible to prepare orders quickly and perfectly with the invention, even though the orders are complicated and are not the same. Furthermore, the invention can be applied not only to ordering and bookkeeping, but also to production planning where the invention may be used for printing lists of. parts in order to indicate the quantities of parts which must be ordered or in order to show what types of materials are required. The electrical arrangement of the invention gives the structure of the invention an almost universal utility. Furthermore, it is possible to speed up the operation of the electromagnets by the use of electron tubes in the circuit.

It will be understood that each of the elements de-.

scribed above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of printing processes and apparatuses differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in selective printing process and apparatus, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a printing apparatus, in combination, support means; a printing roll carried for rotation about its axis by said support means and adapted to have fixed thereto a printing form having a series of printing portions arranged thereon; a counter roll parallel to and located adjacent said printing roll; a switch closing member carried by said support means for movement along a predetermined path; drive means operatively connected to said printing roll for rotating the latter about its axis and to said switch closing member for moving the same along said path in synchronism with the rotation of said printing roll; a plurality of first switches respectively corresponding to the series of printing portions of the printing form and respectively arranged in succession along said path to be successively closed by said switch closing member during movement of the latter along said path in synchronism with the rotation of said printing roll; a plurality of second switches respectively corresponding to said plurality of first switches; electrical moving means operatively connected to said counter roll for moving the same to an operating position in close proximity to said printing roll only when said electrical moving means is energized; and electrical circuit means electrically interconnecting said first switches, secondswitches, and electrical moving means for energizing the latter only when said switch closing member closes a given first switch at a time when a given second switch corresponding to said given first switch is also closed, whereby by closing selected ones of said second switches selected portions of the printing form may be printed.

2. In a printing apparatus, in combination, support means; a printing roll carried for rotation about its axis by said support means and adapted to have fixed thereto a printing form having thereon a series of printing portions; a counter roll parallel to and located adjacent said printing roll; a switch closing member carried by said support means for movement along a predetermined path; drive means operatively connected to said printing roll for rotating the latter about its axis and to said switch closing member for moving the same along said path from a given first starting position; a plurality of first switches respectively corresponding to printing portions of the printing form and respectively arranged in succession along said path to be successively closed by said switch closing member during movement thereof in synchronism with the rotation of the printing roll; a plurality of second switches respectively corresponding to said first switches; electrical moving means operatively connected to said counter roll for moving the same to an operating position located in close proximity to said printing roll when said electrical moving means is energized; electrical circuit means electrically interconnecting said first switches, sec ond switches, and electrical moving means for electrically energizing the latter when said switch closing member closes a given first switch and a given second switch corresponding to said given first switch is simultaneously closed, so that by closing selected ones of said second switches selected portions of the printing form may be printed; and position changing means operatively connected to said switch closing member for changing the starting position thereof to a given second position after said switch closing member has once successively closed all of said first switches and before said switch closing member successively closes said first switches for a second time, so that while selected second switches remain closed during movement of said switch closing member twice along said path dilferent portions of the printing form will be printed the second time that said switch closing member closes said first switches.

3. In a printing apparatus as recited in claim 2, said first switches being spaced equidistantly from each other along said path, and said position changing means including a second switch closing member carried by said support means for movement along a second path and operatively connected to said drive means to be moved thereby along said second path, a plurality of third switches respectively corresponding to said plurality of second switches and arranged along said second path to be successively closed by said second switch closing member during the time when said first switch closing member has completed a first closing of said first switches and has not yet started a second closing of said first switches, said position changing means further including an electrical stepping means for stepping said first switch closing member back through a distance corresponding to the space between each pair of successive first switches each time said electrical stepping means is energized, said electrical circuit means electrically interconnecting said electrical stepping means with said plurality of third switches and said plurality of second switches for energizing said stepping means whenever said second switch closing member closes one of said third switches and the second switch corresponding to said one third switch is also closed, so that said first switch closing member will he stepped backwardly a number of times corresponding to the number of second switches which are closed.

4. In a printing apparatus as recited in claim 2, manually operable clearer means operatively connected to said plurality of sec-ond switches for opening all of said secand switches after a desired series of operations have been completed; and returning means operatively con nected to said clearer means to be actuated thereby and operatively connected to said switch closing member for returning the same to said first starting position thereof upon actuation of said clearer means.

5. In a printing apparatus as recited in claim 2, a second switch closing member movably carried by said support means for movement along a second path; a third plurality of switches respectively arranged in succession along said second path and respectively corresponding to the portions of the printing form; a fourth plurality of switches respectively corresponding to said third plurality of switches, said electrical circuit means interconnecting said plurality of third and fourth switches with each other and with said electrical moving means for energizing the latter whenever said second switch closing member closes one of said third switches while a fourth switch corresponding thereto is simultaneously closed, said second switch closing member being operatively connected to said drive means to be moved by the latter along said second path in synchronism with the rotation of said printing roll; a first selecting means operatively connected to said plurality of second switches for selectively closing desired ones of said second switches; and a second selecting means operatively connected to said plurality of fourth switches for selectively closing desired ones of said fourth switches, whereby said first selecting means may be actu ated when it is desired to successively print a plurality of difierent series of portions of said printing form while said second selecting means may be used when it is desired to repeatedly print the same series of portions of said printing form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,210,021 Breitling Aug. 6, 1940 2,491,369 Ford Dec. 13, 1949 2,536,276 Gretchikhine Jan. 2, 1951 2,722,885 Keil Nov. 8, 1955 2,753,791 Thurma-nn July 10, 1956 2,758,539 Ritzerfe'ld Aug. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 633,097 France Jan. 20, 1928 698,203 Great Britain Oct. 7, 1953 

